Motto Durham
| Address: | 605 W Main St A, Durham, NC 27701, USA |
| Phone: | +1 984-219-1965 |
| Site: | mottodurham.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–11PM 5–11PM 5–9PM |
Location
Photos 47
Reviews 18
LO
lori james
Found Motto through Yelp and are thrilled. Brandon Carr and Jeff Huff have acquitted themselves with excellence in this highly competitive town. The menu is original, focused, and imaginative. Each course and each offering was unexpected, and frequently shared! When asked how we were enjoying our meal, I spontaneously responded, "The sensual thrill is not unlike the sensation when someone new looks across a room . . . the second time. Exciting. Flattering. Inviting more." So, our selections included the zucchini fries (not over cooked and with a batter of exceptional sharp flavors), a scallops dish that was highlighted by grilled just right scallops and the Freekeh Risotto, which offered a surprisingly pleasant robust taste and heft that still sat lightly upon your stomach. Just awesome. But the desserts--well, they were each amazing. Again, both had an unexpected twist--a chocolate mousse with nutella that was just so pleasant and an apple crisp touched with a dash of chili that worked so well! A great meal. Personable, focused service by Izzy, and, out in the courtyard, a sense you were just off the ocean in San Diego. Well done Motto team!
LA
Laurie Pahel
What a great venue for a birthday dinner! Motto granted my Open Table request to sit at the long table by the kitchen. Our waiter was gracious and patient. We were not prioritizing making drink and menu choices over catching up with each other at the table. He helpfully described menu selections and happily answered all of our questions. Every item we ordered was delicious! And we ordered at least eleven different delectable creations. Empty glasses and plates were quietly removed and replaced. Despite a complicated division of the check, the waiter quickly and accurately accommodated our requests. Motto is our new favorite!
ER
Eric Richardson
Interesting food selection and the service there was pretty great. Its tapas style for the most part, with small plates and larger plates the can feed two. Started off with an interesting pickle plate, which was picked asparagus, beets, watermelon(which was a bit tangy for my tastes), and... something else I cant remember. The chicken was delicious and easily the best dish I had. Also had some delicious mussels and shrimp. In all it was delicious. Only downside is the location is a bit weird, and if I didnt live a block away Id probably be confused about where it was located. Hopefully they do well, because they deserve it.
ZA
Zachary Joyner
Ill start by saying I reserve the low rating for experiences I find truly uninspiring. The food was mediocre at best. There was a major substitution made to our order and we were not told until we inquired about the difference in what received versus the menu listing. The price point for the food and cocktails were too high, especially considering what we received. In addition, our server seemed aloof and just generally unaware of what he should be doing. There are much better dining options available in this area and I would strongly recommend avoiding this place.
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Emily G
After hearing good things about Motto I booked a reservation for Sunday, July 30th as part of my anniversary celebration with my husband. We arrived for our 7pm reservation to locked doors, no one inside and no notice on the door. To not notify those with reservations of their closing is inexcusable in my opinion. We were able to find amazing dining at the nearby restaurant, Piedmont (we highly recommend them), but were very disappointed by our experience with Motto (or, lack there of).
AM
Amber-Lee Thomas
My man and I decided to try something new and really wanted a good charcuterie board and to our delight thats exactly what we found. It was absolutely incredible. The general manager was also our waiter and gave us a detailed overview of all the menu items. He took the time to explain everything and picked out his favorites. I highly recommend you go and try the brussel sprouts!! They are a burst of unexpected flavor. By far the best thing Ive ever ordered. This place is a hidden gem!
CA
Carter Smith
Absolutely delicious and service was impeccable. WE had the charcuterie plate which was AMAZING. The crawfish hush puppies and zucchini fries were also excellent. Goat milk cheese cake with pistachios and grilled lemon honey... still kind of in shock from how lovely that was... Really enjoyed it, and would definitely go back. The prices are upscale, but the food quality definitely met the price.
BR
Brian Salomon
My girlfriend and I ate at the bar. The bartender was very friendly and let us try a few different wines before we settled on some glasses. This is definitely a good place to share a variety of dishes as about half the menu is smaller plates. We ordered the house made burrata, rigatoni, and a chicken curry dish. All were quite good. The menu changes daily and well be back to try more dishes.
TH
Thomas Ward
Definitely not a viewable place from the street , upstairs from a gym. Hostess was welcoming to me and my wife and gave us choices of where we could sit which is rare. The service was slow and our server couldnt explain the menu. Appetizer took hour to get to us and server ordered us the wrong meal . I was disappointed . Food was okay but lost my mood after it took so long.
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Sasha Bunn
I visited Saturday the restaurant was cool , The service was slow but the server was awesome so we didnt mind . We ordered a expensive bottle of wine the manager brought over , She poured us all a glass including herself ! She actually drunk the wine with us Definitely not professional for a manager ! Smh she threw the wine back like a shot ! For this we will not return.
KE
Kellee Marie Abell
Great food, atmosphere and service. New chef (started about 3 months ago, apparently he won Top Chef or something like that...) and he does not disappoint! Unique dishes w styles from around the world. Also dont be fooled by the google description- its not pizza and pasta (but apparently theyre pasta is made in-house!) its so much more and its so good.
JB
JB Bentz
Loved it. The menu was concise, but full of intriguing options. Ended up splitting a "gyro platter" and and octopus/bone marrow salad. The gyro platter was a whole lamb shank served with homemade pitas and a variety of sauces. It was huge and the meat was stellar. The bone marrow was equally amazing...especially paired with the octopus.
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Patrick Charbonneau
Dernière incarnation dans un endroit qui a vu passé plusieurs restos ces dernières années. Service correct et bouffe dans surprises dans un joli espace.
MA
Matt Lavin
I went with three other people and we ordered 3 small plates and 2 dinners to share. Everything we had was delicious. The lamb shank was cooked well, the fries were nicely crispy. Everybody at the table was happy and no dish was disliked by anybody.
CH
Chad Rychlewski
Updated --- Changed name/style recently. Tapas and full meals, several tapas make a full meal. I have been here for a drink at the bar and several special occasions, food was ok, prices were a bit steep for what you got.
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Feichen Yang
Fairly hard to find. We had the lamb gyro, a pasta and the octopus. The food is great, everything cooked perfectly and really seasoned. Service could be better. Overall still 5 stars.
ER
Eric Umbreit
Went there for a company dinner. It was beyond expectations. Trendy, but still good food. Chef definitely tries crazy combos, but they work really well. Great place to share food!
JA
Jammie Johnson
The quality and variety of dishes, the ever changing menu, and great atmosphere combine to make one of my favoritest dinner places in Durham
